


Winteriron AUs

by InnerCinema



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Angst, Bond!Bucky, Calcifer!JARVIS, Established Relationship, Fairy Tale Elements, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Howl!Tony, Howl's Moving Castle AU, Kidnapping, M/M, Magic, Matchmaking, Misunderstandings, Prompt Fill, Q!Tony, Sentinel/Guide, Sophie!Bucky, Tony has a twin sister, Villain Tony Stark, Wings, alternative universes, but not really, collection, curse, imaginetonyandbucky, merman!Tony, sneak dating, spell gone wron, winteriron
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-03-20 22:17:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3667251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InnerCinema/pseuds/InnerCinema
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles for the imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com ♥</p><p>Chapter 1: Merfolk AU<br/>Chapter 2: Villain-but-not-really AU<br/>Chapter 3: Sentinel/Guide AU<br/>Chapter 4: Hogwarts/Wing AU<br/>Chapter 5: Secret Service AU<br/>Chapter 6: Tony's got a twin sister AU<br/>Chapter 7: Howl's Moving Castle AU<br/>Chapter 8: Magical Tony AU<br/>Chapter 9: High School AU<br/>Chapter 10: Fae Tony<br/>Chapter 11: Another Hogwarts AU<br/>Chapter 12: Train AU<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tony is a Merman

**Author's Note:**

> For the [prompt](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/111559097720/have-we-had-a-merpeople-au-bucky-tony-fic-yet):
> 
> "Have we had a merpeople AU bucky/tony fic yet, because i feel like that's a thing that should happen."

The Soldier awoke to the absence of pain, the feeling of soil under his fingers and the soft sound of waves to his left. Everything felt damp but it was an improvement to the supposed three bullet wounds in his torso. He remembered falling into the cold.

_“Bucky! Hang on! Grab my hand!”_

The Soldier flinched at this piece of memory. No. Not that cold. Not frozen, still liquid and –

A rustling sound close to him and he tore his eyes open, trying to get up and into a battle stance at the same time but he didn’t get far. Surprisingly strong hands were pushing him back down. But what eventually kept him there was a pair of deep brown eyes that seemed to shine on their own through golden sparks flashing up here and there.

Rationally, the Soldier knew what he was supposed to do: Obliterate any witness and return to the base. Even so, it felt wrong in a way that was not just unjustified energy excess but rather his body protesting against any way of harming those eyes’ owner.

He paused and examined his vis-à-vis: Male, approximately 24 years old and 6 ft high, brown, curly hair that was currently plastered to his skull and… The Soldier paused and eventually ceased his examination when he registered the fish tail shimmering in warm red and gold where legs and feet should be. He was clearly hallucinating which would also explain his aversion to exterminating this creature.

He closed his eyes. If he was drugged, he should wait until the effect subsided.

Several smacks on his cheeks made him look up again. The creature frowned in worry but looked relieved a moment later. It rummaged around out of the Soldier’s line of sight and came back with a chipped mug. Gently, it cradled his head and helped him drink some water.

When it, _he_ , eased his head back down, he felt exhaustion dig its claws into mind and body. Darkness enveloped him when the Soldier gave in.

♠

There were two things, the Soldier learned over the next years.

Firstly: the creature was not a hallucination. The merman, as his mind had supplied, found him whenever his missions led him into the general area of Los Angeles. He did not speak but his whole demeanor was so expressive, they could actually chat – or rather: he could tell tales and jokes and sometimes the Soldier even caught himself smirking. It was a foreign feeling, but not unpleasant at all.

Secondly: He did not feel compelled to tell _them_. For the first time, he automatically glossed over his short meetings with the merman whenever his handlers demanded the mission report. The Soldier was not supposed to have any kind of emotion, yet he felt he liked having this secret. Something just for himself.

♠

The mission in Malibu was completed but extraction had been delayed for five hours. The Soldier was instructed to act inconspicuous until further notice.

It was not hard to find a secluded area below Lechuza Point where he could be stay the rest of the afternoon.

His merman did not take long to find him sitting on one of the wider rocks and waved with a plastic pouch before throwing it into the Soldier’s lap. Curiously, he turned the bag in his hands while his merman had claimed the seat to his left. He took the pouch and gave Soldier a wide grin, his eyes sparkling with mirth. From the bag he produced a marker and a sponge and without any warning and in one swift motion, the merman lay down, his head in the Soldier’s lap and grabbed the metal arm.

The Soldier flinched slightly, which earned him a worried frown but when nothing else happened, his fish friend used his teeth to pull the cap from his marker and started scribbling.

**Hey there, hot stuff! Yes, you have the right thoughts: I am a genius. Thank you for noticing!**

Looking between the writing on his arm and its creator, the Soldier was torn between frowning and smiling. Apparently he had conveyed both sentiments because his merman was laughing with delight. He then waved with the sponge and rubbed it over the writing until it was gone and started writing again.

**Come on, the marker is non-permanent. Genius, remember? Oh, I’m Tony, by the way. What’s your name? Or should I just call you hot stuff?**

The Soldier shook his head but dared to show a hint of amusement. “I don’t have a name.”

Tony frowned again but then shrugged and wiped away the lettering.

 **Well, then hot stuff it is** **J** For a moment, his hand stilled in thoughtful ‘silence’. **Took you long enough to visit me!**

The Soldier shrugged apologetically in reply. He didn’t tell Tony about his missions. Somehow he didn’t want his two lives to overlap.

**Okay, you are forgiven Mr. Tall-Hot-and-Broody. But please come by more often. It’s sooooo booooooooooooooooooooring!**

Tony wrote until his O-s covered the whole metal and pouted until a laugh escaped the Soldier’s throat, surprising them both. But when the spell was broken, his merman joined in.

He had never loathed the end of their little meeting more.

♠

Deep down, the Soldier had always known it could not last forever.

“Look, what we have here.” The Handler sneered. “Isn’t this your little friend?”

The Soldier followed the man’s pointer finger and froze. There was Tony, shackled and hanging from a crane above the dock. No. No, no, no! Everything except Tony!

Five men grabbed him when he tried to move.

“Please.” He pleaded softly but the Handler just laughed.

“Right now, you are in to position to beg, soldier.” The laughter had become cold and malicious and eventually faded. “You are broken. But I will teach you a lesson, soldier. Watch closely…” The Handler pulled his gun and aimed for the merman.

With a cry of rage and distress, the Soldier broke free from his human restraints and tackled the handler. One shot had hit the crane’s cable, the other its burden.

There was shouting but everything the Soldier registered was Tony’s blood and Tony’s fall.

♠

The stun-gun had taken him by surprise and he could hear Steve’s voice screaming for him over the com while he fell from Brooklyn Bridge and down into the East River. But all he could think of was a loud and resounding _“Fucking shit! Not again!”_ and deep brown eyes sparkling with gold flashes.

Bucky hit the water hard and still unable to move, he sank like a rock. Except all of a sudden, he stopped and went upwards instead. Hands were roaming over his neck, feeling his pulse and hope flashed through the ex-assassin.

Soon, they broke through the water’s surface. He still couldn’t turn but for the moment, gasping for air took priority. The hands pulled him further towards the river bank and the closer they got the more movement returned to his limps.

When they reached shallow water, he grabbed one hand and with his heart beating in his throat, he turned around to face brown eyes with golden flashes sparkling with joy. There were so many questions waiting to be asked but nothing seemed enough. Instead, he pulled Tony closer and sealed the merman’s lips with his own, trying to convey affection, longing and, yeah, love.

All of a sudden, a blinding light enveloped both but went as fast as it had come, leaving Bucky with a lap full of definitely human Tony.

“Finally! Took you long enough! I mean come on! How could you not take a hint? I mean got to the point where I drew little hearts all over your fucking arm. Hearts. Like a little school girl! For a hot assassin guy you are pretty daft.” Tony interrupted his rambling with kisses after the end of every sentence. He went on and on and on but Bucky did not process a word he said. At the same time he locked his arms around the other’s waist and pulled him closer.

Tony was alive.

Bucky felt giddy when the thought finally sank in and he could not suppress a sappy grin.

“But… how?” His question was softly spoken but Tony paused his rambling anyway.

“Weeeeeell… let’s say: don’t ever piss off women because they could be evil witches. She totally overreacted, of course, but since you are my true love’s first kiss, I may be convinced to forgive her. I’m nice like that.” Tony smiled genuinely and bright. His eyes had returned to a normal brown but weren’t less mesmerizing.

“True love’s first kiss, huh?” Bucky swallowed hard to will his rapidly beating heart back into his ribcage but still managed a coy look from under his eyelashes. “How about seconds?”


	2. Villain!Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the [prompt](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/111949741461/imagine-an-au-where-iron-man-is-considered-a):
> 
> "Imagine an AU where Iron Man is considered a villain/terrorist but is actually undermining HYDRA/SHIELD at every turn and ends up stealing a frozen Winter Soldier from storage..."

“Jarvis? Please tell me I’m hallucinating. Please tell me that’s not an actual human being in this oversized freezer.”

“I’m afraid you are quite sane and sober.”

“Holy shit!” This was insane. The readings indicated the man in the capsule was still alive. He would ask the scientists but they all either ran into one of his traps or chewed their cyanide before he could do anything about it. Well… he couldn’t just leave the popsicle here, no matter who or what he was. SHIELD would be here soon because this Agent Coulson guy was a major pain in his shiny metal ass.

Okay, he couldn’t take any of the physical files. Transporting them would be impractical but there were two full external hard drives. He snatched those and put them in safe compartments in his suit. Alright. Now he only needed to find a way to carry a deep-frozen guy without accidentally breaking something off.

“Sir, SHIELD agents have entered the area. I suggest you hurry up.”

“Yeah, yeah! Let me just…” With a valiant tug, he pulled the machine’s cables out of the wall and lifted the capsule off the floor. It was heavy, but not too heavy not to reach home safely – at least if SHIELD didn’t try to throw a monkey wrench in his plans. Luckily he tended to blow holes in ceilings and today’s aperture was pretty much around the corner.

A warning blinked and Tony quickened his movement. They were faster than usual. Shit!

The first bullet hit his suit when he was right below the hole. Tony tisked. Who had let those fledgelings out of the nest?

“Up, up and away, J. Full power to thrusters!”

♠

It hadn’t been hard to put one and one together.

Once Obie’s atoms littered the atmosphere, it was like having pulled the plug from a barrel: Pepper, Rhodey and him had found ties to the Ten Rings, some unassuming think tank called Advanced Idea Mechanics and HYDRA. The first one, Tony wiped out with the fervor and efficiency of someone on a personal vendetta. It was quick, bloody and brutal. Iron Man was all over the news, praised for saving all those poor people in the Middle East.

AIM was comparatively harmless and thus landed at the upper part of the bottom half of Tony’s priority list.

Then, he accidentally blew up the Benedictine monastery in Füssen and a picturesque old town somewhere in the Black Forest. To be fair, he didn’t mean to destroy cultural heritage but HYDRA were already defiling it by making it their base. After those slip-ups, he was dubbed a volatile vigilante – as if the shitstorm he received as Tony Stark for shutting down weapons manufacturing wasn’t enough already.

In the end it didn’t really matter. For a fact, it even made it easier because he could do what he wanted: The world would hate him anyway. Especially when he started to piss off SHIELD. But, hey, they were just brimming with HYDRA double-agents. And he was always careful to just kill the vermin and keep the others alive.

He wasn’t a villain per say. He was just selectively nice and he knew for a fact that Nick Fury and his pets weren’t any different.

♠

“What is my mission?”

Tony blinked at the man in front of him. The thawing process had automatically initiated and couldn’t be stopped anymore once they had reached his secret lair. And now he was staring at what could easily be the cover babe of an Engineer Special of the Playgirl: Half naked, damp, all abs, a pretty face and a metal prosthetic that was to die for.

“Uh…” When Hot Stuff’s brows scrunched into a frown, the major part of his brain went back online with full force. Shit. “Sit over there and don’t move. You will receive your mission later.” The guy nodded and walked towards the couch Tony had pointed at.

Then, the engineer started plowing through the information on those two hard drives. It was no easy task when your instincts constantly screamed at you to keep an eye on Frozen Beauty. Only the fact that he had kept on the armor calmed him enough to concentrate. It also kept him on his feet when the information made him lose his footing.

The Winter Soldier was real.

The **Winter Soldier** was real.

And currently sitting placidly on his ratty sleeping couch. Looking more like a lost puppy than an evil killing machine. Shit. He needed a drink. But getting drunk in the presence of the most dangerous assassin of the 20th and early 21st century was probably a bad idea. A really, really bad idea.

Maybe if he froze him again…?

 _No. That just lowers you to the same level as HYDRA. This man is not a pizza._ The voice in his head sounded alarmingly like Pepper which probably meant it was right. But speaking of pizza… he should probably eat. And his newest acquisition too.

♠

“Holy crap you are Bucky Barnes!” Tony blurted what was probably the biggest epiphany of them all.

“Who?” ~~The Winter Soldier~~ Bucky talked since yesterday after their little bonding moment. Tony had been watching footage of the wiping procedure over the years and thrown up into the nearest bin after five minutes of mostly fast forwarding through the videos. The assassin had offered him a glass of water and a raspy ‘drink’.

So now, he hated HYDRA more than he had ever thought he would and Bucky talked. Mostly when addressed and then only the smallest amount of syllables possible but the engineer already preferred it over the silence and gloomy stares.

“James Buchanan Barnes. Best friend of Captain America.” He was giddy all of a sudden, filled with restless energy. “Uhm… J, give me pictures and video footage of James ‘Bucky’ Barnes. Send it to the TV.“ Bucky still looked lost and a bit on the verge of a migraine but let Tony shove him towards the couch.

Fucking Christ, he had the real deal, the father of Bucky Bears in his Secret Lair.

_Kid-Me would have such a ball!_

♠

A flicker of pain crossed his features when Bucky when Tony prodded the wrong cable. A safeguard had come loose and now two naked cables – what idiot didn’t even isolate his cables properly?! - connected to his nerves were constantly bumping against each other. The engineer had always longed for a reason to prod around in this beautiful, magnificent, sexy arm but he had never wished him pain.

“Sorry. Almost done.” He mumbled and ignored Bucky’s jerky shaking of the head.

The other man was still constantly struggling between bits and pieces of memories and Winter Soldier programming but they already had some good hours with snark and actual conversations about stupid movies they had watched during not so good times. But even during the good times, the arm was still forbidden which made this a golden opportunity.

After isolating both cables, he clasped another safeguard shut und looked up to Bucky who stubbornly looked the other way. “Hey, Grumpy Cat! You okay if I do a general maintenance check while I’m at it?” The head turned and light blue eyes watched him warily. “I just want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” They stare at each other silently for what feels like minutes, Bucky searching for fuck-knows-what, until the assassin nods.

Tony slowly let out a breath he didn’t remember holding. He knows what it means. It means Bucky trusts him now.

But it also means he can’t fuck this up.

♠

The door crashed down and Tony let out a long streak of highly inventive curses. Somehow they had found him and more important: somehow they had switched JARVIS offline.

“Iron Man! Hands where I can see them and turn around!” The voice was definitely not Coulson’s or Sitwell’s. So none of the usual handlers - which didn’t mean much because he was royally fucked. Without JARVIS no armor.

“Iron Man. Turn. Around. Now.” The deep voice growled.

“Or else what?” Tony couldn’t help himself.

“Or else I’ll…”

“No!” Tony immediately turned at the sound of Bucky’s voice. “You won’t harm him.” The assassin stepped out of the shadows and placed himself between the engineer and a guy in Captain America costume. Alert SHIELD agents were standing behind him, making it look like a cosplay group.

“B-Bucky?” The Captain – and , shit!, he was the real deal too! - paled visibly beneath his cowl while the addressed nodded faintly but remained firm, some of the programming still lacing his stance. “Bucky! Get away from him! He is a terrorist!”

“ **No!** ” The brunette’s voice was unrelenting. “He found me and brought me back.”

It was probably a bad thing to think about this situation, Bucky’s protectiveness, as hot but Tony couldn’t help himself. There definitely were tentative feelings, at least from his side. But he would not act on them. Not when they were both broken. Bucky still had a chance of recovery while Tony’s thirst of revenge slowly devoured him from the inside. Still, a guy could dream, right?

“From where?” Actual Captain America’s voice pulled him out of his train of thought. Soon enough to see a red haired agent silently step into the room. Black Widow.

“From HYDRA.” Her eyes were fixed on Bucky. “You look well, Yasha.”

The brunette gulped and moved a bit to stand directly between Tony and the Widow. “I remember you.”

“We worked together a few times.” She shrugged. “Would you please step aside now? I have a few questions for Mr. Stark.” She seems absolutely unfazed and Tony has to swallow hard. Everything is over now. Everything he had worked so hard for during the last year will be destroyed and Bucky found his family aka. Steve which means he didn’t need Tony anymore. Once again, the genius could feel the metaphorical ground crumble away beneath his feet, leaving nothing but void.

“No.”

He sighed in resignation. “Come on, Buck. I knew this day would come. Nothing to do about it.” He tried a smile that turned out rather sad and weak. “Go with Captain Spangles so Miss Romanova and I can have our little chat and everything will be-“

“Don’t.” The words were harsh and commanding. Tony realized he had averted his gaze and when he looked up he could see a pained expression that sucks the air out of his lungs. “I’m not going anywhere without you. Especially not leaving you with her.”

“Then you’re stupid.”

Bucky shrugs. “Don’t care. You’re worse anyway.” When the metal hand grasped his, an electric jolt ran through Tony’s body, igniting everything in its wake. But Bucky didn’t leave it with that and pulled him closer before looking at the intruders. “You can chose: Hear him out and do him no harm or fight me.”

“But Bucky…”

“Stevie, I’m damn serious. I will kick your scrawny ass back into the forties if I have to.”

The silence was thick with anticipation and distrust but in the end Rogers nodded. “Alright, you stubborn ass. But you will have to come with us.”

The metal fingers tightened while he possessively wrapped the other arm around Tony’s waist, pulling him even closer until their sides were flush together. “Okay.”

Tony didn’t know what would happen to him in the future and to be honest he was still quite pessimistic about it. But right now, he felt safe and warm and altogether quite content.

Maybe, just maybe the future would be brighter than imagined.


	3. Sentinel/Guide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the [prompts](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/114488514203/imagine-tony-and-bucky-as-sentinel-and-guide):
> 
> "Imagine Tony and Bucky as Sentinel and Guide. (imagine Steve Rogers held up as the impossible Sentinel standard - he functions without a guide, unlike most Sentinels, and Howard held Tony to that impossible standard, maybe driving Tony into dormancy (?) and even more self-hatred). Imagine that Steve and Bucky had a working bond - but only they knew that Steve becoming the super soldier drove them further apart. Imagine the angst when Tony believe his guide is bonded to the perfect Sentinel."
> 
> and
> 
> "Imaging Bucky working up the nerve to begin wooing an oblivious and then later confused Tony. Maybe even asking Steve for ideas since he’s been awake the longest, and Steve fails and falls back on dated/out-dated tactics."

_“Hey, Tony! Could you please take a look at Bucky’s arm? His wrist seems stuck.”_

_“Sure.”_

Tony was sure, that the Fates hated him, but he could have lived and still believed without this exceptionally cruel example. He had felt only Bucky’s arrival but the two super soldiers never strayed far from each other. Not that anyone expected them to. They were, after all, the perfect bond-pair.

Steve Rogers was the peak of human and Sentinel perfection. He was able to sense a damsel in distress from ten miles away and capable of anticipating the enemy’s every move by their breathing pattern. Daddy dearest had made it quite clear that nobody, especially not his son, could ever reach the perfection that was Captain America.

And then there was James Barnes. His empathetic powers were only second to those of Charles Xavier. He could push Sentinels into the zone without even touching them. During battle, he was able to ground them even better than Coulson and he was the only person who could coax Steve into going to Medical. Plus: With his instinct and fighting skill he could give any Sentinel a run for their money.

So when Tony had started to feel the Pull at their first meeting, he knew he had lost. Bucky was bonded and altogether too good for everyone but Captain America. Especially a broken and twisted Sentinel like him.

All in all: he was fucked. But when was he not? And he would rather face another heartbreak than losing this hard gained family. Stark men were made of iron and it wasn’t the first time he’d put on masks.

♠

“Sir? Agent Barnes is requesting permission to enter.”

Tony sighed heavily and pulled what mental shields he still had tighter. It was one thing to avoid the person you so desperately long for when you lived with said person. But it was worse when they did their damnest to get into your space. “Let him in.” Anything else would result in Steve-pouts and Clint-glares since the archer and the assassin had gone on like a house on fire.

“Hey, Tony!” Bucky was smiling widely which was still a rare thing. “When’s the last time you’ve eaten?”

“Uh….”

“Sir has eaten two granola bars in the last 9 hours.”

“Traitor.” Tony grumbled towards the ceiling and turned back to his schematics. Bucky was like the sun: If he looked at him for too long he would become blind for everything else and if he got too close he would probably burn to ashes.

“That’s barely anything, Tony. Come on, you need to eat something. How about we go out and grab a bite?” It was weird: he sounded so enthusiastic. Maybe if he caved just this once – “Steve knows this really great place.”

“No, thanks. I’m not hungry.” He made some unnecessary adjustments to the hologram to turn further away. “Have fun at the place though. I really need to get this done for Pepper.”

♠

Tony always enjoyed movie night with the time, so when he got a note that they would do another on Saturday night, he gladly shut down the work for the day and went for a shower. Only, when he entered the living room ten minutes late like usual, he was not greeted by the sight of an assembled team. Instead, Bucky was there. Alone. Fuck.

“Where is the rest?”

Barnes shrugged. “They couldn’t make it on such short notice.”

“Oh… I guess I’ll just…”

“Sit down. I haven’t seen Star Wars yet and I don’t know where to start.” Tony blinked. “There is a numerical order but I think Clint said something about old ones first.”

“Birdbrain’s not wrong there.” Tony hadn’t realized he had walked closer until metal fingers grasped his wrist and pulled him down on the couch.

“Perfect! Then you can tell me where to start.”

“Uhm, sure.” Tony was still confused as to why Bucky wasn’t watching those movies with Steve but the more they watched, the more he allowed himself to relax near the Guide. It was so easy and nice and also so surreal and…

“OHHH Star Wars!” Tony Clint shuffled into the room and plopped down on the loveseat he and Natasha always occupied. Tony instantly tensed and slowly put more distance between Bucky and him. Surprisingly Bucky next to him froze and even glared at the archer.

One after another, the others joined them. It was nice, but for some reason Bucky next to him looked more and more grumpy. At first, Tony thought it was because Steve was still missing but when the blonde entered the living room at last, the Guide pretty much projected his sulk. Steve just frowned, looked at everyone except Tony and Bucky, frowned even more, threw his hands in the air with a huff of utter resignation and flopped down on his Guide’s other side.

A lovers’ spat perhaps?

♠♠♠

“Is he actually fucking serious or is he just kidding me?” Only a fine thread of sanity kept Bucky from hitting his head on the wall.

“I think he’s really not getting it.” Steve pondered. “Maybe we did something wrong? I could google some more advice. I mean-“

“No! I was not subtle! Even Agent Hill. HILL who has been here maybe two times has asked me yesterday if she should give Tony a dab on the head because she – and I quote – ‘refuses to lose money to fucking Sitwell, the blind turtle.’”

“Oh…”

“Steevieee!” Bucky whined before falling down on the couch next to his best friend. “What should I do? I mean I would back off if he wasn’t interested – pull or no pull – but he clearly _is_!”

They remained both lost in thought until Steve’s voice broke the silence. “I have one last idea. But we will need help.”

♠

“Barnes, what the actual fuck are you doing in my workshop?”

For a moment, Bucky thought it was going well. The surprise had scrambled Tony’s mental shields and joy mingled with confusion seeped through the cracks. Then, from one second to the next, the Sentinel shut everything tight. All that was left was a trace of wariness in the neutral, carefree mask that was Tony’s face now and it stung.

But he was anything if not determined – “Stubborn.” A voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Steve supplied – so he tried his most charming smile. “Jarvis said you hadn’t really eaten today and those board meetings always bum you out so I thought… picnic!” He waved at the set-up on the workshop floor. He was rather proud of it: with a blanket and a basket filled with Tony’s favorite Italian take out and wine and all.

The reaction was not at all what he had expected.

“This might be a 40s thing but today you really don’t have to feel compelled by the pull.” Tony’s apparently tried to sound cool and careless but it came out raw and Bucky held back a baffled remark. It was so frustration not getting a read of the guy. At. All.

“Bullshit!” Bucky rather growled than blurted. “First of all: People still believe in the pull. I researched. So don’t try to feed me this crap. Sec-”

Tony scoffed “But I don’t need your pity party. it’s okay to just coexist. I do my thing and you do your thing with Steve. No biggie.”

“Don’t you get it? I really want to be with you. Even without the pull I would probably want to be with you because you are amazing and sexy and you can be so maddening idiotic sometimes as you are brilliant. And what the fuck’s got Stevie to do with us?” At the ‘us’ he waved between Tony and him.

“Well, you are bondpartners, obviously.”

There was what felt like half a minute of silence because Tony was trying his best not to show his sulk and Bucky… well Bucky stood there, mouth open and speechless because what could one say to that?

“Okay.” Bucky licked his lips what got him a surprisingly intent look from Tony. “Steve is my best friend. But he is not and I repeat _not_ my bondmate.”

“But dad said…”

“Howard was stupid.” He ~~stubbornly~~ determinedly didn’t let Tony finish his sentence. “Yes, we are close. I love Stevie but only like a brother. We grew up together and I saved his scrawny little ass whenever it was necessary. Anything else would be weird.” Bucky made a face to bring his point home and then sighed. “But propaganda probably blew it up like a hot air balloon and invented whatever they wanted us to be.” And for the final blow, the Guide focused some of the affection he felt for the engineer. He knew he could pull it off despite the shields.

“Oh…” Watching Tony reach realization was like watching the first sunrays after a week of heavy rain.

Without thinking, Bucky crossed the distance. With his left hand on his neck, he pulled Tony closer and paused an inch away from the Sentinel’s lips, never breaking eye contact. For a moment, there was only the feeling of warm breath on skin before Tony wound his arms around Bucky’s waist and crossed the last bit for the long yearned kiss.

 


	4. My name is Barnes, James Barnes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the [prompt](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/115203593404/alright-more-than-two-words-on-account-that-ill):
> 
> "Alright, more than two words on account that I'll never have enough wing fics. Never. tONY LOSING HIS WINGS IN AFGHANISTAN AND BUILDING METAL ONES. IS BUCKY'S WING METAL? IS HIS ARM ALSO METAL STILL? ARE THERE WINGLESS PEOPLE ARE THEY PARIAHS IS TONY A FUCKING FLYING GYMNAST WHO MAKES RIDICULOUS FLYING STUNTS LOOK SIMPLE DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY HAVE WINGS ARE THE WINGS A METAPHOR CAN CERTAIN PEOPLE SEE WINGS ARE BUCKY'S WINGS WHY TONY'S LIKE "HE'S COOL" SO MANY POSSIBILITIES. WINGS. I can go on."
> 
> And my own burning desire for a Hogwarts AU

A bright, white light, a cry, a thud and after a pause laughter.

“Oh no, he didn’t!” Bucky growled under his breath as he turned around and then… well then he gaped like all the other students except Clint who apparently already had a stitch from laughing too hard.

“Mr. Barton! You are supposed to transfigure the snuff box into a living mouse and back. Not Mr. Stark into half a chicken.” Professor Hill’s words broke the metaphorical spell and the whole class burst into laughter. And while Clint protested and claimed his innocence loudly over the noise, Bucky crouched down next to his boyfriend and smirked. This time Tony had really outdone himself: the wings originally meant for Clint were a soft looking white with a rosy hue and the wingspan looked like the tips could easily reach his fingers if he stretched.

“Do angels know CPR? Because you just took my breath away.”

Tony made the most adorable face at Bucky’s leer and grumbled: “Shut up! If Clint hadn’t reflected my charm it would have been perfect!”

“Awww. It’s okay.” He put an arm around Tony’s waist to pull him closer and to finally grope a bit at the wings – and holy shit they were **fluffy!** “But tell me the truth: did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” That earned him a smack and a glare.

“You’re an ass!”

“You forgot the ‘hot piece of’ in between.” Bucky winked but gave his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. “Hmmm I like your wings.” He silenced the protest with a finger to Tony’s lips. “I’m serious. They are so soft it’s addictive and look at the possibilities: can you fly with them?” As soon as he had asked, he could see the wheels turning and soon a wicked grin took over the genius’ features.

“I don’t know.” Tony grinned, grabbed his wand and got to his feet. “Let’s find out!”

It took Bucky a split second to identify the dangerous tone in Tony’s voice but his physical reflexes had yet to follow suit. So when the other boy jumped onto the ledge of the next best open window and let gravity take over, Bucky missed him by a hair’s breadth and grasped for air.

“Tony!”

Frantically, Bucky leaned out of the window and searched the ground below. In his mind, he already saw him in a puddle on the grass or skewered on one of those gothic pinnacles. That was until he heard an excited whoop that definitely came from a few feet above him.

“Bucky look! Look! It’s working!” Tony exclaimed as he flew a figure eight.

“ **You fucking asshole you could have killed yourself!** ”

Tony came to a wobbly halt and finally met his eyes. At least he had the decency to look abashed when he lowered himself to eye level, wings beating in even flaps.

“But look! I’m fine!” Tony reached out with his hands and when Bucky took him – how could he not? – he pulled himself close enough to feel each other’s breath. “And isn’t this awesome? Now I can fly to your window every evening and kiss you goodnight.”

“My dorm room is pretty much basement, genius.”

“Then maybe I should give those wings to you.” Tony chuckled and closed the final distance for a kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the [prompt](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/117417886354/secret-service-au-maybe)
> 
> "Secret Service au, maybe?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you so much for your lovely comments and all the kudos! It warms my heart so, so much!
> 
> Btw I also do art for the blog. Would you like to see it in this collection as well? Or not so much?
> 
> *gives cookies to all you lovelies* ♥

Where kidnapping had once been an ambitious métier, Tony found it was now rather disappointing. Was it so hard to get decent employees on your payroll these days? Or had he become way too fastidious since he started working for MI6? Anyway, Tony was done with their shit and had decided that this time he wouldn’t waste his genius on wannabe thugs who didn’t even search him for a second phone. Imbeciles! Instead the quartermaster had texted his favourite Double-0 and was now waiting for his boyfriend to do his job and save him from complete boredom.

“… or you will deeply regret it.” The snarl made him snap back to reality but it took him a moment to realize the self-proclaimed boss of this sad excuse of a kidnapping was still talking to him. To be fair: The guy had been slapping out every worn-out phrase in the book about bringing MI6 down, having his long sought revenge on M, weakening the country, destroying the manacles of an antiquated system, yadda yadda. Times like these were the reason why Tony sometimes tinkered with the thought of temporarily going to the dark side just to raise the standards.

“What?” The quartermaster blinked. “Sorry, I spaced out a bit.”

“How dare you not listen to my demands! Larry, bring me the high voltage baton.” The guy barked and Tony heard some shuffling behind him.

When beefcake No.3 aka Larry handed over the baton he couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “Seriously? Hammer Tech? And here I thought you couldn’t get more ridiculous! Oh God! This is hilarious!” Instead of a taste of this “high voltage” baton, the quartermaster got a punch in the face for his efforts which made him momentarily shut up. Larry had a mean left hook.

“You will see how serious I am! And now, give me the codes. Nobody will hear your screams out here. Nobody will find you!”

Instead of deigning the guy with an answer, Tony did his best not to smile again. From his vantage point, he could see the two idiots on guard get hit by something. Finally! At the sound of falling bodies, the chief honcho whipped around just in time to see 007 drop from the ceiling with the grace of a panther. “Hey, guys! Mind if I interrupt?”

“Who the bloody hell are you?” The pseudo boss demanded, all the guns pointing at the agent.

Bucky gave them his most feral smirk, betraying his calm, casual voice. “My name is Barnes. James Barnes.” And then hell broke loose.

It was nice, actually: Sitting there, only loosely tied to his chair, ducking from time to time, watching Bucky beating up a bunch of idiots… The only thing that was missing was a nice drink.

Or at least, it would have been, if Barnes would stop abusing his tech. It was infuriating enough to get his beloved gadgets in pieces but watching the process was downright painful.

“ **That is not how you use a communicator pen, asshole!** ” He shouted when the agent rammed the device into a man’s eye. Cleaning the thing would take more time than building a new one and Bucky knew it. Asshole.

The fight actually doesn’t last that long and soon Bucky is right by him, looking him over for bruises. The ministration and the little frowns at small bruises are heartwarming enough to dampen his outrage over the pen. It doesn’t keep him from snippy comments, though.

“Wow. Now I can finally stop asking myself what you do to my tech to always bring it back in a horrific state.” He deadpanned, frowning at the agent’s pout.

“That’s not true! I always take care of the personalized gun!” Bucky protested while cutting the ropes that bound him to the chair.

“You lost it on your last mission.” Tony grumbled but was suddenly faced with a familiar gun. “What…?”

“Told you I didn’t lose it.” Bucky gave him a smug grin, waving with the firearm before placing it in Tony’s hands. “Just misplaced it.”

The quartermaster stared at the gun in bafflement. It was the first gadget he had ever given the agent. The mission had horribly gone wrong but the Double-0 had made it out alive. Together with this gun.

“See, I still have it. Can I come back to bed now? I really hate sleeping on the couch.”

Instead of an answer, Tony pulled him into a kiss.

 


	6. Tony's meddling sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the [prompt](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/122006354095/imagine-tony-having-a-younger-twin-sister-the):
> 
> "imagine Tony having a younger twin sister. the media only mentions her once in a while and she's never at the tower because she travels all over the world. so when everyone wakes up one day to Tony and a woman who looks almost just like him laughing at some joke in the kitchen they're obviously confused. the sister is just like Tony, flirtatious and snarky though since she is gay she only flirts with Natasha. and being the best little sister she is she totally hooks Bucky and Tony up."

“How does a squid go into battle?”

This was wrong on so many levels. First of all, at this time of day, Tony Stark was either still in his sanctum or passed out on the next best, possibly padded, surface. Secondly, if he was awake at this hour, he did not sound so… cheery. And last but not least, there was an unfamiliar feminine giggle. Tony had long since scratched the playboy-part from his list of titles and he sure as hell did not bring strange women to the communal area.

“Ohhh what?” The woman grinned audibly.

“Well armed.” And with that horrible pun, the two voices erupted in silly laughter.

Great. A woman that made Tony Stark into a fucking cheerful early riser. Bucky swallowed the well of jealousy as soon as it bubbled up, but as always, it left a bitter taste on his tongue.

“What the hell?” Clint right behind him voiced what Bucky and probably everyone else present was thinking before shrugging and then passing a frowning Steve and an apparently completely unfazed Natasha. With Clint in the lead, the others were reduced to entering the kitchen as well where they were met with the sight of Tony grinning with genuine fondness at one of the most beautiful women Bucky’s ever seen. She was about Tony’s height, her wavy, chocolate brown hair framed slightly angular features, bow shaped lips and sparkling brown eyes.

When she leaned further into the engineer’s space, Bucky’s desire for breakfast was gone for good. All he wanted now was to either defenestrate a probably perfectly decent woman or flee to his room. Sadly, neither was an option since, well, murder was generally frowned upon and Nat was casually blocking the exit. Fuck his life.

♠

If you took a look at the Wikipedia article of one Tony Stark, you would see the child genius, son of Howard Stark, the numerous doctorates, the Merchant of Death, Afghanistan, Iron Man all in a neat pile of compressed information. If you took a closer look you could make out Maria Stark as the loving mother and the foundation to her son’s charity work. And only if you looked closely, you would find the short notation “Along with his twin sister Margaret, he was homeschooled until the age of six when…” If you asked the general media, Margaret Juliana Stark was nothing but the faintest blib on their radar. Not the cultural journals, mind you, but only the smallest percentage of people genuinely interested in the Stark family paid those any mind.

Margaret Juliana Stark, called “Julie” due to the likelihood of confusion with their much adored aunt Peggy, was long since used to receive less attention than her older brother. As a child, she had never shown any affinity to engineering or sciences in general. Thus, Howard had either shirked her off onto Maria or Jarvis or ignored her wholly. Her mother had then taken to bringing her along on her trips during one of which Julie had found out that the Stark genius had not skipped her, just jumped headfirst into a whole other area: Music. Instruments came to life under her fingers and lips, her mind engineering symphonies like Tony’s blueprints and as soon as it was possible, Julliard took her with the greatest pleasure. Thus, when her brother brought a revolution to the art of war, she conquered the world of music, country by country.

Still, whoever had the luxury to experience Tony and Julie together saw two peas in a pod. Despite continents separating them most of the time, the siblings cherished their relationship with a power of endurance, that was usually unheard of the great Tony Stark. Though if she wanted to keep tabs on her brother, JARVIS, Rhodey and Pepper were her best friends. And because of these three gossips – JARVIS, who had a soft spot for her, was actually the biggest of them all – she was sitting in the communal kitchen of the Avengers Tower, peeling an orange and laughing at her brother’s newest collection of trash jokes.

“Aw, coffee!” The whine immediately cut through the laughter.

“Oh! Hi, guys!” Tony chuckled and waved at his sister. “This is Julie. She’ll be here for a week or so.”

She gave everyone a charming smile and nod, looking them over at the same time. For a moment she was distracted by earth’s hottest redhead – she really couldn’t help the wink in Natasha’s direction - but there he was: Tall, broody and absolutely Tony’s type but above all, he looked downright heartbroken. Perfect. She could work with that!

Grinning, she popped a piece of orange into her mouth. “Thanks for watching out for my stupid little brother.” She loved a good drama but she wasn’t _that_ cruel.

“Hey! I’m the older one!”

“By 28 minutes, Bambi.”

“Dumbo!”

“Beehhhh” Both stuck out their tongue at each other which earned them a collective chuckle.

The following breakfast was pretty uneventful if you ignored Tony’s and Bucky’s game of stare-tag - Really, those two were worse than cheesy soap operas! – and soon Steve and Clint left for SHIELD while Tony dragged his oblivious crush to the lab for ‘maintenance’.

“Men…” Julie nodded at Natasha’s sigh and offered her a piece of orange.

“Please tell me they’re not always that obvious.” The gorgeous redhead only raised an eyebrow. “Wow. Okay. Want to set them up?”

“It would be my pleasure.” … and wow, Julie wanted to see that grin again in a completely different context.

♠

“JARVIS said you wanted to see…” Bucky stopped dead when he turned around the corner and saw a mop of brown hair instead of red. “Me.” He frowned, especially when Julie looked at him with the apparently genetic “Shit will hit the fan and it will be glorious”-grin.

“Natasha… me… let’s not fight over semantics, Buckaroo.” Her grin turned sweet when she patted the cushion next to her. “Come on, sit. I made a game and I need another player.” He didn’t know why he complied so easily. Maybe he wanted to make up for his earlier thoughts on defenestration, maybe he just wanted to be in Julie’s good books, anyway, he regretted it the moment his ass hit the cushions. Immediately, an arm snaked around his metal one and he had a Stark – sadly the wrong one – plastered to his left side. “Perfect!” she grinned. “J, commence project Lady and Tramp.”

“With pleasure.”

The room darkened and the giant TV came to life with the start screen for a game that looked suspiciously like one of those anime dating simulations Clint secretly loved to play: A glittery font wrote “Whatcha looking at?” on a bed of rose petals, accompanied by soft, cheesy music.

“Uhh… I’m not sure if I’m the best candidate to use as a guinea pig.”

“Wrong! You are the _only_ possible candidate. Trust me.” Her voice was a mix of severity and grand amusement. Then she pressed a button on the remote in her hand.

The screen changed and Bucky’s heart stopped: It was a photograph but with one part heavily blurred, only Tony was crystal clear and the look on his face almost instantly punched the air from his lungs. The engineer’s face was so open, so vulnerable and so full of love as Bucky had never seen it before. Whoever Tony was looking at must be the luckiest person in the universe – and the fact that it wasn’t him hurt worse than imagined.

“Evidence No. 1.” Julie announced, completely unaware of his inner turmoil, and pressed another button. The first photograph made room for a second one: A different setting but almost the same expression. A bit more wistful, this time but not with less affection. Then, a third and a fourth photograph appeared. All different setting, all the same look on Tony’s face.

This was horrible, a fucking torture. Bucky squirmed in her grip but she would not let go. He could easily pry his arm free but he didn’t want to hurt her, however much pain she inflicted on him. “Stop! Alright. I get it.” He snapped. “Tony’s got someone. But what the hell do you want from me?! Set him up? Ask someone else. He and I aren’t that close.“ He looked at her because anything was better than looking at those photographs. Her eyes were just as expressive as her brother’s but less guarded and so the pity was easily visible. Fucking great.

“Honey puff, for the scariest assassin of the twentieth and early twenty-first century you are awfully dense.” She gave a long-suffering sigh, grabbed his chin and forced him to look back at the screen. Her grip was firm but her voice softened. “Look harder…”

He did not want to look, wanted to refuse but with her words, the blurr vanished and revealed… “Me?” His voice sounded distant, choked and awed at the same time. That was Tony’s expression like when Bucky wasn’t looking?

“Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!” Julie chuckled and let go of his chin to pat his cheek but only when she switched off the TV he turned back at her. "Awwwww! You two are such adorable idiots!” Then, when the elevator pinged, she surprised him with a kiss on the cheek and a darkly whispered “If you ever hurt him, I will creatively end you and I’ve got a whole gang of artificial intelligence to back me up. Got it?” Julie did not wait for a response and got up from the couch to greet the newcomers. Or rather: to greet Natasha who was dragging a cursing Tony along.

Holy shit! Bucky knew a setup when he saw one and he was not ready yet! Nope! The only reassuring thing was that Tony looked equally flustered when he was pushed towards the couch. On instinct, Bucky leapt up to steady him and glared at the two gleefully giggling women.

“We’ll see if I ever build something for you two ever again!” Tony snapped over his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Bambi.” Julie chuckled and put an arm around Natasha’s waist – miraculously without losing a limb - and steered her towards the elevator. “See ya, boys! Don’t do what I wouldn’t do too!”

“That’s not much, evil witch!” Tony shot back and then, they were alone. Bucky could see that Tony was trying hard not to fidget, avoiding his gaze, but now they were given a chance and Bucky was sick of dancing around. Especially now that he knew.

“Will you… will you go out to dinner with me?” He blurted out less graceful than planned but it had the same satisfying effect on Tony who looked caught like a deer in the headlight.

“What?”

“Dinner. With me?” He took Tony’s hand in his, gently enough so the engineer could withdraw easily. “Because I like you. Very much.” His cheeks felt hot but he could not help the sappy grin when Tony nodded and his ears turned an adorable shade of pink.

“Uh… yeah. Okay. That sounds good – great, actually. When? Now? Now would be a good time, right? I mean if you don’t have anything else-“ The rest of the ramble was swallowed by Bucky’s lips.

“Now sounds great.” He whispered.

“Yeah. Now.” Tony mumbled and pulled Bucky in for seconds.

 


	7. Howl's Moving Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the [prompt](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/130554751539/imagine-a-howls-moving-castle-au-with-tony-as):
> 
> "Imagine a howl's moving castle au with tony as mechanic wizard howl and bucky as sophie that's stuck under a spell"

For a moment he just stood there, doorknob in one hand and the burning sensation of Tony’s kiss on his lips.

_“Sorry. I’ve had enough of running away, James. And now I’ve got something to protect.”_

“So do I, asshole.” Bucky grumbles at nobody in particular and just like that the decision was made: He turned the doorknob three times and brought Dummy, Bird Brain and old Mr. Stane out into the rain of the Wastes before leaving the Tower himself with a shovel full of vehemently protesting JARVIS. As expected, the Tower collapsed and with it the doorways to Brooklyn House and Malibu Mansion, probably leaving the two destinations in nothing but ruins. But now Tony could concentrate on the battle without having to worry about protecting Bucky’s sentimental dream of a normal life. And now, he just needed to get to Tony unseen.

JARVIS, observant as always, opened his fiery mouth the moment Bucky carried him back into the sorry remains of the once grand Tower. “Sir will be very cross with you.”

“I know. I don’t fucking care. We need to help him and get him the fuck out of there before he does something stupid.” Bucky retorted gruffly as he put the demon back in his fireplace. Maybe he had come on too strong if he wanted the firedemon to help him. The Gods knew JARVIS was still a bit wary of him since the incident.

Though when Bucky started piling wood for JARVIS to feed the demon gave a nod of approval. “Very well.” Bucky felt a surge of warmth in his chest right until JARVIS continued. “It sadly does not change the fact that I am unable to move the Tower without Sir.”

“I highly doubt it. If you can’t do it, no one can and I have never seen a fire with more spark.” Bucky insisted with fervor – not only because of Tony but also because it was the honest truth.

“But these are hardly optimal circumstances. There is no chimney and as you are well aware I am getting dripped on.” JARVIS said apologetically while Dummy and Bird Brain aided Mr. Stane into the small room.

“They say the best spark burns brightest when the circumstances are at their worst.”

The demon did not seem to believe him but took some time to consider anyway. “I… would require something of yours to move even the smallest part of the Tower.”

“How’s that?”

“I sadly cannot do it all by myself. May I inquire how strongly you are attached to your eyes?”

Bucky winced and shook his head. He wouldn’t be of any use to Tony if he was blind. But if it had to be a real sacrifice, there was only one other option… 

“How about this?” He held out his left arm – finally flesh and bones again and free of the horrid curse.

 

Without another word JARVIS’ blue flames engulfed the arm and mere moments later the ground beneath their feet began to move. The noise was deafening and judging by the sound of falling rubble only a small portion of the Tower was affected by the demon’s magic.

It did not matter, though, as long as they made it in time.

“Thank you JARVIS!” Bucky called over the noise. “You are amazing!”

“Think of what I could have done with your eyes- “ JARVIS voice surrounded them wholly. “- or your heart!”

“That’s it!” Mr. Stane crowed with absolute delight despite the chaos around them. “You’ve got Tony’s heart! I finally found it!”

Bucky barely registered the outcry of joy, too busy watching the hunted silhouette of the Iron Man against the red of burning houses a few miles down their rocky path. Only when he looked back into the moving chamber to ask JARVIS to hurry up he noticed with sheer horror Mr. Stane’s hands reach for the demon’s shovel.

Immediately Bucky tried to intervene but it was already too late. Around them the last part of the Moving Tower started to collapse once more and the company tumbled down the scree slope. Bucky tried to hold on to the now ablaze Wizard of the Wastes but with only one arm, Bucky quickly lost his hold and fell off the stumbling vehicle

♠

When he came to, he was alone and lying amidst wooden planks and screws and stone. He couldn’t have been out for more than a few minutes but he wasn’t so sure it really mattered. His only plan had literally gone up in flames and even if he got to Tony in time, with only one arm he was hardly of any use to the techno mage.

The notion of Tony in difficulties made Bucky sit up. “Fuck this shit!” he growled. “As long as I can move, I can damn well try to help him!”

The moment the last words left his lips the ruby ring he’d all but forgotten, the bejeweled beacon Tony had given him during their escape from Madam Hill and her henchmen, started to emit a golden light that only grew stronger by the second.

Right in front of him the golden light formed a portal and even thought the other side did not reveal anything but darkness Bucky got up and, blindly trusting Tony’s promise to keep him safe, stepped through. He was proven right when after only a few steps the all-encompassing darkness dissipated.

The moment his eyes’d gotten used to the twilight Bucky knew he had to be in the past or at least some sort of memory. The old, abandoned vacation home, the destination of the third lock, looked lived in. There were piles of old tomes and scattered pieced of paper only held in place by a bowl of dried blueberries.  
Tony’s old study, he guessed.

Bucky was quickly sidetracked by the events outside the large windows: Lights like colorful shooting stars were falling out of the sky and bursting into some kind of firework the moment they hit any kind of surface.

Without thinking, Bucky rushed through the empty halls and out of the mansion. He was just in time to watch a very young Tony reach out to catch one of those falling stars. Sparks flew and Bucky ran even though he knew there was no way he would reach the boy in time. Tony was already lifting his hands to his mouth to swallow the blinding light.

Bucky urged his feet to be faster when he saw Tony press his hands against his chest and sag to the ground. Only when the boy’s hands moved away from his body, revealing a quite familiar pulsating blue light, Bucky knew what to do.

“Tony!” Bucky called even though darkness started to creep around the edges of his vision. “Tony it’s me! James! I know the solution! COME FIND ME IN THE FUTURE!”

After the last of his words had died away the portal was once again in front of him. Only this time there was not only detritus waiting for him in the Wastes.  
His breath hitched at the sight of a familiar red and gold armor. It had scratches and dents at all the wrong places and the fact that the visor was still down worried Bucky all the more. He wondered if he’s come too late, if the Iron Man had already used up all of Tony’s spirit.

Quickly Bucky rushed over to take of the helmet.

“Tony.” He breathed and a wave of relief hit him when the man in question seemed to recognize him. “Tony.” He repeated more softly, placing a short yet intense kiss on unmoving lips. “I know you’re tired but you need to bring me to JARVIS. I know how to help you.”

Tony nodded shortly and took the helmet to put it back into place. For Bucky that was sign enough to wrap his arm around the Iron Man’s neck and hold tight. A smile tugged at his lips when a metal arm snuck around his waist to keep him safe.

Then, they took off.

♠

The armor was strewn all over the Wastes and the whilom Tower was reduced to nothing more than a raft on moving metal legs when Bucky managed to pry JARVIS out of Mr. Stane’s bony fingers. And there it was: Practically Tony’s heart in his bare hand. The thing all legends claimed he never had was still engulfed by blue fire only the flames did not hurt at all. 

“JARVIS, what will happen to you when I give Tony back his heart?”

The demon hesitated. “If I am to believe my calculations, I should be alright. My remaining powers ought to be enough to protect me.”

Bucky smiled fondly at the faceless fire that had protected Tony’s heart for decades. “Well your calculations are rarely wrong. But I think Tony would be quite pissed if you disappeared. So keep that in mind.” _And I would be, too._

“Yes. I wouldn’t want him to be cross, would I?” JARVIS’ voice sounded amused. 

Bucky just shook his head and crawled to where Tony was lying. “Okay. Let’s do it.” 

And without further hesitation, he pushed the demon and a fluttering heart back into the mage’s chest. Soon sparks rose from the man’s chest until Tony emitted the same colorful firework Bucky had seen before and as if everything from the memory happened in reverse, a star shot skywards and disappeared with a whooping sound.

But Bucky didn’t have time to mourn the disappearance of their friend because all of a sudden, several things happened all at once: Beneath his fingers, Tony started to wake up from his exhaustion induced unconsciousness and, since JARVIS was gone, the legs of their vehicle simply fell off right at the top of a very steep hill.

As they were hurtling down, all Bucky could think of was to keep Tony from falling off their raft. Effectively pinning the man down with his own body, he did not see Bird Brain stop the raft at the sacrifice of his own stick. Only when they were safely stuck between a few boulders right above a cliff did he see the splintered end of the purple scarecrow’s pole.

“Bird Brain!” Bucky scrambled over to give the magical scarecrow a once-over and, after seeing Bird Brain still move, a good shaking. “YOU ASSHOLE! Why did you fucking do that?! Don’t ever pull such reckless shit ever again!” 

In the heat of the moment, Bucky accidentally hit Bird Brain’s head against one of the boulders. The scarecrow immediately flew right out of his hands and before an incredulous audience Bird Brain transformed into a rather handsome young man with the sexiest forearms Bucky’d ever seen.

“Thanks, Buckaroo!” The man grinned and nodded at Bucky.

“What the fuck happened?”

“I think it’s called ‘cognitive recalibration’ – at least that’s what Nat calls it. Anyway, some douche in a horny helmet cursed me and someone needed to give me a hit on the head to break the curse.” The man shrugged good naturedly, accentuating his arms.

“Uhh…” Bucky replied eloquently.

“By the way, I am Clint, the missing prince so… Nice to meet you but I think I need to get back to stop this fucking stupid war.” Clint gave them a wave and then a grin before jumping off the raft with a way too cheerful “See ya!” And when Bucky peered over the edge, the man was gone.

“Ugh… please tell me this was all a dream.” Tony groaned right next to Bucky. “If I have to believe that the idiot prince has been with us all along I might have to go berserk and – ooof!” 

Tony didn’t get any further because Bucky practically threw himself at him. “Hey, hot stuff.” Bucky rather heard than saw the smile on his lover’s face but he was too content to nuzzle at the man’s pulse to look up. For a few minutes they just lay there, Tony’s arms wrapped tightly around Bucky’s chest, just bathing in the other’s presence.

“Soo… Have you gained a few pounds or why does my chest feel heavier than usual?” Tony asked quietly without stopping to stroke Bucky’s back.

“Well…a heart does that to a man.” Bucky chuckled at the surprised gasp and sat up to have a better look at the mage.

“Wow. Never saw that coming. Speaking of which: where is your arm?” Aaand there went the blissful happy feeling.

Bucky winced. “JARVIS needed something from me after the Tower collapsed.” He tried to give a casual shrug but the look in Tony’s face proved his failure.

“Won’t be of any use protecting you now.”

“Okay, in case I haven’t made myself clear:” Tony looked a bit like he wanted to do a bit cognitive recalibration himself.  “First of all, I didn’t, don’t and won’t ever just keep you around because you’re just useful to me or something. And secondly, ohhh babe I will make you an arm that will be way more awesome than some boring flesh and bone.”

Bucky stared at this ridiculous man with tousled hair, soot and bruises on his face and a manic glint in his eyes. 

“I love you.” He blurted and leaned down to use Tony’s surprise for a deep kiss.

In one way, Steve had been right: The Wizard from the Moving Tower had in fact stolen his heart but Bucky couldn’t say he minded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so much fun! I absolutely adore this movie ^u^


	8. Magic Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the [prompt](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/130818771536/tony-has-magic-and-bucky-gets-turned-on-whenever):
> 
> "Tony has magic and Bucky gets turned on whenever Tony uses his powers. bonus if Tony gets his magic from his mother who turns out was Asgardian (or just a sorceress up to you guys) who fell in love with Howard so stayed and taught Tony to use his magic in secret."

“Peeeppeeeer!” Tony whined and plopped down next to where she sat on the couch and lay his head on her shoulder.

“What, Tony?” Despite her annoyed tone she started petting his hair which was nice.

“Why does he have to be so hot and funny and intelligent?”

“Who?” Tony glared at her innocent smile. She knew exactly who he was talking about. “I don’t see your problem. Ask him out already.” She relented and gently tugged at some strands of his hair.

“But he hates my magic.” Tony grumbled. “Whenever I pull something out of a pocket dimension or let something float or things like these he pulls this disgusted frowny face and leaves the room.”

“Oh Tony! I bet you’re making things up. It’s obvious that he likes you whenever I see you two together.”

“But I can’t suppress my magic! Pep!” He hid his face in the crook of her neck.“I mean it’s the only real thing of my mother I’ve got left… The thought of abandoning my heritage feels like betrayal.”

Tony felt Pepper’s arms wrap around his torso to pull him into a hug and once again he was eternally grateful for her friendship. “Nobody will ask you to disregard your mother’s gift. And I doubt that Bucky really is disgusted and- Steve! Could you please come here for a moment?”

“I hate you!” Tony hissed, immediately moved away from Pepper’s embrace and did his best to look normal but even the slightest smile felt stale. Judging by Steve’s worried look, he wasn’t quite convincing.

“What’s up?” Steve directed his question at Pepper who in turn nodded in Tony’s direction and rolled her eyes. Steve chuckled and shook his head.

“Okay.”

“Hey!” Tony complained. “I feel like I should be insulted.” His instincts were blaring alarm so he got up from the couch, ready to flee.

Steve gave him an innocent smile. “Nooo. Why should you?” And before he could react, that asshole had already picked him up and thrown him over his shoulder, effectively pinning Tony’s legs to his chest with one hand. The whole way down to the gym Tony tried complaining loudly, flailing, punching Steve in the back and singing the most annoying songs but to no avail.

“Buck!” Tony winced at Steve’s call. Shit.

It was even worse when he was deposited right in front of a too-hot-for-this-world sweat glistening Bucky Barnes.

“Tony here thinks you hate his magical abilities. That’s why he hasn’t asked you out yet.”

For a moment the only sounds were Steve’s retreating steps and swish of the closing door.

“I don’t hate it!” Bucky blurted and wow, that blush looked very good on him! “Your magic, I mean.”

“Uh…” Tony replied, slightly distracted. “Okay. But why do you always look so pissed and disappear whenever you get the chance when I conjure something?” 

Bucky started to look even more flustered at that question and looked anywhere but Tony. “I… I think it’s hot, actually.”

“Hot.” Tony repeated disbelievingly. “And that’s why you glare and run away. Sure. That’s a totally common reaction.”

“No! Yes! I mean – Ugh!” Bucky hand his hands over his face. “I like you very much but I-I get a hard-on whenever you do something magically.” He burst out and stared at Tony’s feet.

Oh…

“Oh.” Then, when everything sunk in, Tony grinned. “Oh! So…. when I do this…” He gave a wave with his hand and Bucky’s towel, now glowing slightly golden, flew from his shoulders just to hover in Bucky’s field of vision. “… you like that?” 

At Bucky’s nod he let a corner caress the man’s cheek and true to Bucky’s words, Tony spotted a promising tent in the assassin’s training pants.

Nice.

“Oh baby, we’re going to have so much fun.” Tony grinned and let the towel fly back around Bucky’s neck to force him closer. 

Bucky was still red-faced but looked at him with hopeful and hungry eyes.

“Yeah?”

“There are so many spells I have to show you, honey.” Tony leered and pulled Bucky in for a kiss.


	9. High School stereotypes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the [prompt](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/135716966699/imagine-tonybucky-in-hs-bucky-is-the):
> 
> "Imagine Tony&Bucky in HS. Bucky is the stereotypical popular jock who is about to be benched for w/e sport because he’s failing. Tony is new to the school (maybe kicked out of his last school?dunno) and he’s now the resident genius. Queue everyone bullying him and Tony's the grade-a nerd, he’s the one the school assigns to tutor Bucky (pretty much every HS romcom)"

At first it was a disaster: Tony hated him because he thought Bucky was bit much like the brainless idiots who beat him up when nobody was looking because he liked robots too much and excelled at most classes without even trying. Bucky on the other hand was just angry about the cutback of free time he could have used for soccer practice or working at the garage or simply flirting excessively with anything that moved. So when they met for Bucky’s tutoring lessons, it was favorably on neutral grounds like the cafeteria – not the library, mind you, they’ve been banned from there ever since a very loud disagreement on their first meeting – and filled with excessive bickering. Tony didn’t see why he should be teaching some (good looking) dumbass the beauty of physics when it would float right out of his mind the second it had entered and since Tony didn’t hesitate in making his opinion known via passive aggressive commentary, Bucky gave back as good as he got because damn if he would let himself get insulted by a cute newbie with the social skills of an admittedly adorable possum. (Barton hat sing-songed something about pulling pigtails once but had quickly been chased away.)

That was until one day, on his way to his job at the garage, he saw Vanko beating up a familiar mop of brown hair. Without a second thought Bucky ran towards the fight and tore the beefy guy off of the nerd. “Leave him alone.”

“Stay out of my business, Barnes.”

“If you make a business out of punching people… let me think… yeah, well, no.” Bucky sucker-punched him in the gut and punched him once more. Those were good hits but Bucky wasn’t as keen at getting into fights as his best friend was so he decided for a strategical retreat while Vanko was still recovering so Bucky grabbed Tony’s arm and dragged him along. “Come one. Let’s get outta here.”

Meanwhile, Tony tried to process what was happening. First, Vanko was beating the shit out of him because Tony refused to let him have all the credit for the engineering class group project and then all of a sudden Barnes was playing the knight in shining armor. Which was why he didn’t register where they were heading until they stood in front of a car workshop whose sign proudly proclaimed: Howling Commandos – The quality of yesterday, the knowledge of today. 

As it turned out, Barnes was not as stupid and unwilling to learn as Tony’d initially thought. He was just someone who needed the hands on approach. So while Bucky patched him up, he learned that the guy had been working here in the garage for almost a year now and the other mechanics were not only fond of Bucky but also appreciated his talent for cars. 

This was an interest they definitely both shared. In the end, Tony stayed for Bucky’s whole shift, helping out with repairs and talking shop and both decided, that the other really wasn’t all that bad and maybe even a bit hot.

Thus began their tentative friendship/mutual pining thing but it only took about two weeks and excessive poking from his friends for Bucky to walk up to Tony’s table to ask him out for coffee.


	10. Fae-Tony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the [prompt](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/140035196527/tony-has-been-hiding-the-fact-that-he-is-a):
> 
> "Tony has been hiding the fact that he is a mythical creature (ex: incubus, vampire, fae, werewolf, etc.) something happens during a mission where it is revealed, and Bucky (and maybe the whole team) find out."

“Where the hell are we?” Steve snarled at Loki the moment their feet hit the soil. Only moments ago, they all had been enjoying movie night when the God had appeared right in front of the television and apparently teleported them to an orchard.

“If you must know, you should ask the… Man of Iron.“ Loki smirked and faded into nothingness.

“Fuck.” Tony cursed into the silence that followed Loki’s disappearance.   
Deliberately ignoring his teammates, he looked around. The gnarled trees bore fruit despite the time of the year but the fruits themselves did not look like any species known to men. The trees’ tops were lined with mist while their roots were immersed by high, yellow grass and wild flowers that bloomed even though all that shone were the moon and stars. The air smelled of fruit and candles and a hint of copper. Tony did not recognize the place itself but the unearthly beauty spoke for itself: Fae territory. He didn’t know why exactly the God of Mischief had brought them to this place or how he’d known Tony was… 

“Tony? What’s going on?” Cap’s voice pulled him back to reality and just like anticipated, the team was staring at him in varying degrees of confusion. 

“Huh?” Tony pulled his best innocent-angel-face and shrugged, already turning towards the next best path between the trees. He could already feel the magic of this place pull at his human disguise and he really wanted to be out of here before the orchard could shred his perfectly crafted camouflage. “Don’t know, but this place creeps me out. Let’s look for some kind of exit.”

“Tony, wait!” Bucky called after him, after only a few steps into the orchard. On instinct, he paused his steps at his lover’s plea and cursed himself only nanoseconds later when he felt rather than saw the metal hand approach. Tony did not flinch but he closed his eyes in anticipation of a burn that never came.

“Don’t.” The sound of Natasha’s voice forced him to turn around and open his eyes in natural curiosity. She was holding Bucky’s wrist and since she was staring holes into Tony now, he wasn’t quite sure to which of them the command applied.

“Natasha, what the hell?!” Bucky cursed, suspicious, concurrent to Tony’s astounded, “How do you…?”

“Classified.” The assassin merely shrugged and turned back to Bucky. “You can touch him, but not with your metal arm. Not right now.”

Bucky lowered his left arm with a frown. “Why?“

“Tony.” Natasha’s exasperated sigh told him what he already knew but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

“Because the steel alloy would burn me right now.” Tony confessed and looked straight at Bucky when he shed the remainders of his human disguise because in the end, his opinion mattered the most. Tony knew his appearance did not change as drastically as if, for example, he was a dryad – and thank fuck for that – but changes were definitely visible.  The clothes were the same since he had donned them only a few hours ago but his skin was pale now, almost like parchment and in the right light, it tended to shimmer in the coppery red tones of a setting sun. The color of his hair had an unnatural depth now and rays of a light that came seemingly out of nowhere caught in his strands. His cheekbones were a bit higher but the most striking, he knew, were his eyes: a pitch black void with sporadic white-blue sparks. Bucky’s round eyes confirmed that it had worked and the look of awe and fascination confirmed once more the greatness of James Barnes.

For a moment they just stared at each other, Bucky in wonder and Tony probably with the sappiest grin on his face and so the silence stretched and was only interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the grass.

At least until Clint happened.

“Oh my God you’re an actual gay fairy!”

That was all it took for Tony to look up at the archer and snap his fingers. The air filled with the scent of gold and sea breeze and all of a sudden Clint was wearing a pretty, blue dress and a very voluminous red and curly wig.

“You were saying, Merida?”

“I’m saying that ultramarine really suits me. And my abs look amazing!” Clint retorted and reverently patted his abdomen while Natasha just rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Steve looked at him with a mix of confusion, amusement, and awe, chuckling at Bruce’s mumbled, “This explains so much,” and Thor just nodded solemnly.

Tony’s gaze flew back to Bucky’s now very contemplative look. When their eyes met, Bucky’s lips morphed into a leer that promised a great many things when they got back home… Oh yeah, home! That was a thing.

“Alright!” He cleared his throat. “We should probably return home. Firstly: we should avoid meeting the rightful owners of this place and secondly” –he glanced at Bucky– “We, err I, need to prove a few hypotheses.”

“Ew! I didn’t need to know tha-” Clint whined but got effectively shut up by Natasha who smacked him on the wig.

“Stop whining and start looking. We need find a fairy circle,” she then remarked, patting the archer’s red curls.

Tony narrowed his eyes at her comment. “For a human, you know an awful lot about fae.”

“For a fae you know an awful lot about humans.” She smirked and started walking. “And the rest-“

“Is classified.” The rest of the team filled in in unison.

♠

After that it was fairly easy. It was Thor who found the perfect circle of mushrooms that led into an underground tunnel system. The walls were laced with veins of a dim, golden light, illuminating the corridors enough to find the next best exit, which turned out to be right inside an old oak in Central Park.

It told a lot about their lives that nobody even batted an eyelash when the Avengers stepped out of a living tree. Someone was even nice enough to call a cab.

♠

“What’s cookin‘ good-lookin‘?“ Tony greeted Bucky a few days later as he entered the living room.

“Nothing. Just looking for my fella.” The ex-assassin grinned and flopped down next to him. “And I’ve got something for you,” Bucky mumbled with his lips against Tony’s cheek and pressed a small bottle into his hands.

“What’s that?” Tony eyed the vial warily. It was filled with relatively big pieces of red and gold glitter.

“Edible fairy dust.”

“Asshole.”


	11. Another Hogwarts AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the [prompt](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/149083332519/i-am-sending-this-again-just-in-case-it-didnt):
> 
> "I am sending this again just in case it didn't take cause I lost connection if you got it no worries just delete the duplicate. Slytherin!Tony and Gryffindor!Bucky Soulmate Harry Potter AU. Every witch and wizard is born with a magical moving tattoo. A tattoo that matches that of their soulmate. + the word phoenix. Bucky secretly wooing his slytherin crush, who turns out to actually be his soulmate. Thank you sorry if I sent it twice, this is the complete one!"
> 
> and
> 
> "Have you done a hogwarts au? If you guys haven’t than I would love one!!

As every witch and wizard Bucky Barnes believed in soulmates. He was certain that, when the time was right, he would find his One and live with them happily ever after.

That was until he met Tony Stark in 4th grade potions class. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t heard of the pureblooded child prodigy with as much talent as loathing for magic, but he only really got to know him after they were paired up to brew a dreamless sleep potion. The event had ended with a very drowsy class, two scorched school uniforms, loads of detention, a new friendship, and a romantic as well as sexual revelation on Bucky’s part. And Bucky had it bad for the Slytherin, a fact about which Steve loved to tease him more often than not.

Of course he had hoped that Tony would be his soulmate but even though Tony was witty, snarky, sexy, adorable at times, intelligent and sugar and spice and everything nice, deep inside Bucky doubted he was the phoenix that flitted over his heart. Tony’s patronus was a giant robot arm which was nothing new with Tony who tended to reject everything magic and had even tried to install WiFi on school grounds, but it crushed yet another hopeful possibility of how the Slytherin could still match the mark on his chest.

In the end it didn’t matter much when Tony kissed him under the bleachers at the end of their 5th year. For one small moment Bucky bid his soulmate’s forgiveness and then returned the kiss with the same fervour. It was what he’s been dreaming of for over a year, after all.

They never talked about soulmates, avoided the topic like the plague and Bucky was fine with that. The summer they spent together was worth it, at least, spent with make-out sessions in between meet-ups with the gang and if both kept their shirts on, neither mentioned it. And if it wasn’t for the nagging knowledge that there was a soulmate waiting for him Bucky would have been the definition of bliss.

At the beginning of the following school year, principal Fury announced the Trwizard Tournament that should divide the school and, by its end, show the true nature of staff, students and family members alike. More than once did Bucky curse the fact that by some kind of twisted chance, Steve and Tony were both chosen champions for Hogwarts. Choosing between the friend he loved like a brother and the boyfriend he loved similarly deeply wasn’t an easy task and for the most part Bucky tried to be an ambassador between the two sides made out of pure stubbornness and bruised egos.

By the time of the final task, not long after Tony’s parents demise, the true fate of the Stark family was revealed by a banishing circle and a horrid monster. But Obadiah Stane’s great plan of whiping out even the last bearer of the Stark name was foiled by noone other than Tony himself who, after a struggle that made spectators fear for his life, proved them all that muggle tech and magic didn’t have to be exclusive to kick ass.

It was right then that Bucky’s soulmark sang and it was right then that Bucky knew exactly who his soulmate had been all along. And when he finally held him in his arms, Bucky felt complete.


	12. Train AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the [prompt](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/post/149842335140/oh-an-au-where-they-get-the-same-train-in-the):
> 
> "Oh an au where they get the same train in the mornings and one day tiny falls asleep on Bucky or something by mistake?? Maybe even misses his stop? That could be fun :)"

Today was his day, Bucky was sure. Every day he took the train at 6:57 pm to get home from work and for all three months he had the job, this cute guy took the same train and the same compartment more often than not. He looked a bit younger than Bucky and a bit on the short side with adorably mussed brown hair and the way he always yawned and rubbed his eyes was absolutely endearing. All three months Bucky had hoped for Cute-Train-Guy to sit down next to him so he could start a conversation and hopefully ask him out. But no matter what Stevie and Nat and Sam said, just sliding into the seat next to him without still wasn’t an option. He’d gotten better with the fact that he was now missing an arm but it still fed his insecurities, especially when it came to cute train guys. Today, though, Lady Luck seemed to smile down at him: The seat next to him had been freed two stops ago and Bucky hat used what Steve called his Death Glare on people who had dared to come close to the seat and, finally, short, beautiful and rumpled plopped down next to him. And he smelled nice, like metal and coffee and a little bit of sweat.

Now he just had to talk to him. Or really look at him. What should he start with? A simple “Hi” should do, right? He opened his mouth and closed it again shortly after. What if “Hi” was too mundane? And then what? Small talk seemed so wooden to him these days. Bucky suppressed a frustrated sigh. He’d been smooth once, damn it!

But before he could think of something better to say or berate himself some more, he suddenly felt a warm weight on his shoulder. His object of desire had fallen asleep on him.

Apparently his mind deemed it safe now to sneak a peek and Cute-Train-Guy was even more beautiful up close: Long eyelashes casting shadows on his tanned skin, his rosy lips, the faint smell of shampoo coming from hair so soft looking that Bucky had to keep himself from reaching out and touching it.

He finally realized he’d been staring for quite some time when he saw that his own exit station had long come and gone. Cute-Train-Guy hat to get off the train somewhere after Bucky’s stop but he wasn’t sure where so he first shook himself out of his enchantment and then Cute-Train-Guy awake.

“Hey buddy. Wake up.” He urged and the guy’s eyes fluttered open. When he saw Bucky, a lazy smile spread across his features. The mumbled “Dreamface McHottie!” came out of nowhere.

“What?” Bucky sputtered, yet despite the initial surprise he felt a pleasant warmth spread in his guts.

But his surprised question had apparently broken the spell because Cute-Train-Guy quickly put some space between them and looked anywhere but at Bucky, his neck going a nice shade of red.

“Sorry. I… uhm… I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

“No problem.” Bucky responded immediately. “I would have let you sleep but I don’t know which station’s yours.”

“Oh… My station is-“ The guys looked at the display and groaned. “My station was the last one. Wait! Yours is the stop before mine. Oh god! Why didn’t you wake me up then?! Fuck! Now I sound like a total stalker. I mean I see you almost every day. By chance I mean –“

“I know.” Bucky interrupted his ramblings, probably smiling like a sap because his crush had noticed him. “I see you as well. But you always look like you could use the sleep so… why wake you up?”

The train slowed down for the next stop and Bucky took the other by the arm and pulled him up with him. “Come. I’ll walk you to your station. Uhm, with you I mean. I need to walk into that direction anyway.”

They exited the train and walked the street parallel to the tracks. It wasn’t too far, maybe 20 minutes of walking but they used the time well. Bucky learned that Cute-Train-Guy’s name was Tony, that he was already working on his PhD dissertation in the field of robotics at only 19 years old, often pulled all-nighters (hence the constant tiredness), loved coffee and his eyes positively shone whenever he smiled.

“Wow, this was nice.” Tony said when they stopped in front of the station. “How can I thank you for this?”

“You can let me buy you a coffee sometime?”

“Deal!”


End file.
